Scheme of the contents of 'The Original of Monarchies'

Author: Isaac Newton

Source: 361(1)B(3), New College Library, Oxford, UK

Published online: December 2002

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Chap. 1. The Original of Monarchies.

The whole earth — — two hundred years after Media & Persia was grown into a Monarchy.

The great antiquity of the Kingdom of Egypt makes it difficult to give an Account of its Original , but some footsteps there are thereof in History. For the Kingdome of the Egyptians under which Israel was in bondage seems to have comprehended but a small part of Egypt, as well because in two days time the children of Israel were scattered throughout all the land of this kingdom to gather straw (Exod 5.12, 14) as because the King of this kingdom said that the children of Israel were more & mightier then his people Exod.1.9. Psal.105.24. Which is an argument that Egypt then consisted of several small kingdoms of which this was but one.

In the seven years of plenty Ioseph — — — — And then Sesack made a new regulation of the Noimes & built their Temples more sumptuously.

Manetho an Egyptian Priest has given us the names of many Kings reigning in several parts of Egypt — — — — — we shall find hereafter that several Kings reigned after Sesostris who in the Dynasties are named before him.

So then the great antiquity of the kingdoms of Egypt grounded upon the Dynasties of Manetho is not to be relied on & the Monarchy of Egypt notwithstanding those Dynasties might rise out of several small kingdoms & those out of Cities combining under Common Councils as was explained above.

Chap. II Of the ancient Phœnicians & their Colonies in Egypt & Greece.

Sometime after the departure of the Israelites out of Egypt a body of Shepherds from the east invaded & conquered Timaus king of the eastern part of the lower Egypt & burnt &c— — —

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Chap. III Of the Monarchy of Egypt.

Egypt called in scriptur Misor Misraim & the land of Ham, is a long & broad valley — — — — — Tropic of Cancer, that is in the north Latitude of 2312 degrees.

One of the first great kingdoms in the world was that of Egypt. For Pliny in recconing — — — the riches of Babylon Nineveh & Ecbatane.

Herodotus in giving an account of the ancient state of Egypt — — — —, Apries, Amasis, Psammenitus. To these kings I would præfix Ammon true father of Sesostris & Tethmosis or Amosis who drave out the Shepherds , & after Sabacus I would insert Sua & Tirhakah.

We are told in Scripture that Sesak came out of Egypt with 1200 chenols — — — — answers to that of Sesak in scripture.

[1] The father of Sesostris gathered together out of all Egypt the male children who were born the same day with Sesostris & placed them with nurses & governours, & prescribed to them all the same form of education & discipline, being perswaded that they who were so brought up with his son would be most faithful & usefull to him in his warrs. These children he brought up with exercises of dayly labours commanding that none of them should eat till he had run 180 gladia. by which means they became endowed with strong and active bodies & great aspiring minds. Hence I gather that the father of Sesostris was king of Egypt before Sesostris or Sesak was born & by consequence he was that Pharaoh king of Egypt who married his daughter to Solomon & took Gezer from the Canaanites & gave it to his daughter for a present. ffor Sesak as we shall show hereafter was of about the same age with Solomons spouse & her little sister who had no breasts, being a child.

Considering that Amosis beseiged the Shepherds after his father Misphragmuthosis had shut them up in Abaris: its probable that this siege was in the beginning of the reign of Amosis so that Amosis after the expulsion of the Shepherds might reign long & so be contemporary to Saul & some part of the reign of David. For I reccon that he expelled the Shepherds after the {war} of Samuel when Samuel by one single victory over the Philistines restored liberty & peace to Israel. 1 Sam 13, 14 & before the second year of the reign of Saul when the Israelites were again in bondage & the Philistines with a very numerous army made a new & vehement & lasting war upon Saul & David & could not be subdued till they had been beaten in many battels 1 Sam 12. According to Manetho he reigned after the explusion of the shepherds 25 years 4 months & Chrebron 13. According to which recconing the reign of Amonophis will begin about the 24th year of David, & that of his son Sethosis will be coincident with the reign of Sesak.

Iosephus tells[2] out of Manetho that after the Shepherds went out of Egypt to Ierusalem, Tethmosis who expelled them reigned 25 years & 4 months & then was succeeded by his son Chebron after whom reigned Amenophis. And after another king or two he names

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Mephamuthosis Thmosis & Amenophis as succeeding in {Iosh} & after some other kings (as Orus & Armais or Danaus) which seem to be placed out of order, he names Armesses Miamun & his son & successor Amenophis & his son & successor Sethosis the brother of Arman or Danaus. The same successions of Kings are recited out of the 18th Dynasty of Manetho by Africanus & Eusebius with a little variation of the names. ffor Africanus names them thus Amos or Amosis, Chebros, Amenophthis, Misphragmuthosis, Thuthmosis Amenophis — Rammeses, Ammenoph, Sethos. & Eusebius thus Amosis, Chebron, Amenuphiss - Misphragmuthosis, & Maphaxnothesis, Thomosis Amenophis, Ammeso, Themesses Menophis Sethos And in the 12th Dynasty Africanus recites these kings of Thebes as reigning in order. Ammenemes Gesongoses the son of Ammenemes, Ammanemes & Sesostris. All which being compared together seem but several repetitions of the same race of Kings succeeding in this order. 1 Mephramutaosis, Mispharmuthosis or Misphragmuthosis. 2 Tethmosis, Thmosis, Thomosis Amosis, Ammeses Armesses, Rammeses, Rameses, Ramesses 3 Cheoron or ✝ Chebros. 4 Amenophis, Amenophthis, Menophos, Ammenemes Ammon 5 Sethos Sethosis, Gesongosis, Sesoncnosis, Sesostris. [For Tethomosis and Amosis are plainly the same the one expelling the Shepherds & the other succeeding Misphragmuthosis who shut them up in Abaris. Amenophis the predecessor of Sethosis is the same with Ammenemes that Predecessor of Gesongosis or Sesonchosis & Sesostris.] Whether Chebron be rightly inserted or ought to be omitted I do not know.

The first King who extended the Dominion of Egypt into foreign countries was Sesostris He was first sent by his father with an army into Arabia, [that Arabia which lies] between Egypt & the Red Sea, & being accompanied with his companions who were brought up with him, they overcame the want of water & food & conquered all that barbarous nation which till then had been unconquered. Then being sent towards the west he overcame a great part of Afric though but yet a youth. By The first of these conquests the Troglodytes & by the latter the Libyans of Marmorica & Cyrene came under the dominion of Egypt. And this seems to have given occasion to the trafick of Solomon into Egypt for horses. ffor [Cyrene was the country famous in those days for breeding horses] Egypt was supplied with horses from Cyrene a country famous